An Exchange
by Akavet
Summary: Matt x Light. They end up meeting at a park, unaware of each other's true identities, and engage in small talk, realizing some interesting things about their world. At the end of their brief encounter, neither walks away empty handed.


**Warning: **Before you continue reading, there is shonen-ai in this, as in BL. Nothing graphic or smutty, mainly fluff because I'm a romantic, but tough butter biscuits for those homophobes out there. So ha! I have warned you, reader.

My friend and I were bored one day and we both had the awesome idea to role play and see what would happen between Matt and Light if they met face to face without knowing each other's true identity. She did some of the "awesome comebacks" and basically poked fun at the characters and the series whilst doing some of the rant and stuff… I finished up the conversation with a drastically different ending than she had expected, but nevertheless, she loved it and so did I! XD

The characters do not belong to me although I wish they did… SIGH. Matt and Light belong to Takeshi Obata and Tsugumi Ohba, the awesome duo who did "Death Note." We are not making a profit out of this role play/chat session thingamajig.

* * *

**_Matt sits at a park wearing the same bored expression as always. His goggles are hanging at his neck as light marks are traced around his eyes. Matt sits on a bench smoking, the cigarette diminished to a pathetic stub. He drops it on the ground before stomping the flame out. As he reaches into his pockets to light another one, he notices a boy, sitting across from him at the bench, staring intently at him with his honey colored eyes. How long had he been there?_**

Matt: Err… Can I help you?

Light: Oh, I'm sorry, but I couldn't help but notice that you look just like me… **_Light furrows his eyebrows as he squint his eyes at the red head_**.

Matt: Nice pick up line, try and seduce your grandma with that. **_He brings the cigarette to his lips while still holding the same nonchalant expression._**

Light: **_Light looks away disgusted, scarred by the mental image Matt has provided for him. _**Ugh… I didn't mean it in that way…

Matt: Hm.

Light: I'm saying we resemble each other… You know, looks-wise. **_As unfriendly an atmosphere Matt was casting, he decided to try his hand at small talk._**

Matt: How do you know _you _don't just look like _me_?

Light: **_Ignoring the impulsive retort, Light still attempts to make small talk. _**You see it too, don't you? We look similar, well, except maybe your hair and eye color…

Matt: As well as nationality, personality, clothing style –

Light: You… Are not a pleasant person to be around. **_He says sharply. Matt snorts. He gets up to leave, his interest in conversing with the red head now fully diminished._**

Matt: – Back at you, preppy fuck. You're not so pleasant either with that sword stuck up your ass. **_Monotone, Light noted, he seems so unenthusiastic in the things he says._**

Light: Oh, ha-ha, at least I don't walk around advertising metro-sexuality.

Matt: Oh? **_He gives the other a small grin, clearly amused at Light's frustration. _**The aberzombie seems to have some claws. Aberzombie… **_He clicks his tongue._** I like the sound of that. Would you prefer I call you that from now on?

Light: Do I even need to reply to that? **_Light gives a small scowl, not enjoying any of Matt's snappy remarks._**

Matt: Were you always such a prick? **_The smile is short lived and Matt's dazed expression returns. He inhales the cigarette, bored again; he starts to speak in his dead, monotone voice once more. _**You're just jealous of my awesome comebacks.

Light: **_Light shakes his head disapprovingly and makes his way towards the sidewalk, out of the park._**

Matt: Fine – **_He mutters "Preppy fuck" under his breath._** I'll humor you. Yeah, we look alike, so what?

Light: **_Light glances down at his watch before giving a small sigh. He takes a seat on the bench, maintaining a comfortable distance from Matt. _**Misa's not here yet… I guess I could kill some time.

Matt: Misa? The blonde actress/model chick? **_He whistles._** Nice piece of ass you're scoring.

Light: It's not like that… So yeah, like I was saying… We look alike. **_Light is bored on the topic, not as interested in spending his time chatting up an impolite chain-smoker. The air around them is already polluted with Matt's noxious fumes. The tone Matt establishes in talk wasn't the most inviting, what with his bored voice and his constant cussing._**

Matt: It's a small world. L and Hayate look a bit alike too… Or maybe Sasuke cuz' of the hair… Mikami reminds me of that pink haired guy in Kingdom Hearts… Oh, and your dad looks like Commissioner Gordon from Batman. **_Matt gives a near inaudible chuckle, the brunette barely catching it in the loud sounds surrounding the public park. Matt continued to rant on with his silly comparisons as Light pretended to listen to each and every one. To be honest, it was hard to hear such a soft voice in this environment, but Light didn't feel like making Matt repeat his words. _**Ryuk looks like Hades from Disney's Hercules. Oh… And you… You resemble Seito Kaiba from Yu-Gi-Oh, hn, or that guy from 21… Maybe even Zac Efron. All three share pretty nice hair, the former two have a similar evil grin like you.

Light: **_He gives a small, genuine chuckle. It was usually pretty difficult to make the stoic genius laugh even a little. _**Yeah, I guess that's true. I sort of do have an evil grin, huh?

Matt: **_Encouraged by Light's amusement, he continues on. _**Mello and your little girlfriend, Misa, look a lot alike too.

Light: **_He gives a pondering look. _**Isn't Mello a guy? **_Pauses at newfound realization. _**Wait… You know Mello? **_Light's voice grows a little husky on the last sentence, a bit thrown off by his newly formed suspicions on just exactly who this red head was._**

Matt: **_Having not heard Light's last comment, he carried on the conversation normally. _**Well, did that stop Takeshi Obata?

Light: Wait, what? **_Light is thrown off once more, confused by Matt's increasingly vague comments._**

Matt: …Nothing, nothing.

**_The two sit together in awkward silence as Matt twiddles his cigarette in his gloved hands. Light continued to cross then uncross his legs._**

Light: So who is this Obata?

Matt: **_He gives a jaded sigh._** You see, we are nothing but mere fictional characters that were weaved out of the twisted imagination of one's mind to serve as pure entertainment as the audience is slowly engulfed into this fake world. They thrive off the way we stumble across a world corrupted by evil, this world being identical to theirs, showing a more realistic viewpoint of fictional circumstances. This – this book (Death Note) is the constant allegory to the human inclination towards selfishness that your character has taken on while you try and do deeds for the greater good, despite the fact that you are a simple mortal just as I. Whether we look alike or not is just the fan service towards what is the frequent embodiment for what shallow humans perceive as beauty and attraction, something the artist is successfully able to draw out in order to bring the series critical acclaim among the many who are as conceited and self conscious as we. Although fictional, we still embody flaws and conceit to bring relativity, does that not make this series even more interesting to indulge in?

Light: **_Light pauses,_** **_barely breaking character for a millisecond, his eyes widening momentarily before quickly regaining composure. _**An audience truly does enjoy more reasonable perspectives even in an illusory situation since it's more like the fellow reader is entering an alternate reality mirroring our own rather than another dimension altogether.

Matt: **_The fuck did he say? _**See? Point taken. **_He gives a small triumphant sneer, amused with Light's brief awestruck look. Matt could talk shit like that when he felt like it._**

Light: I couldn't help but notice that you avoided my question altogether though.

Matt: **_Another snort. _**I didn't feel like it. **_Matt hadn't noticed he went out of topic in his rant there, and when he did, well, he didn't feel like admitting it._**

**_Light says nothing afterwards, and for a while they sit focused on each other's expression. Matt still holds the same poker face as always, although his sea green eyes eagerly search for a reaction within the brunette's honey colored ones. However good an actor Light was, he couldn't hold his shock any longer._**

Light: You – You're definitely one of L's prodigies, no? **_He had not expected to meet one of them by chance. Matt was the exact opposite of what he had expected out of them. He dressed flashy, could drive a lot of attention towards him, good and bad. He was a chain smoker who talked informally to even a stranger and he swore like a sailor. _**

Matt: Not bad, man, you're very hot…

Light: Excuse Me?

Matt: Oh, I meant you're close. **_I should have chosen better wording, Matt thought. _**Your assumption didn't fall too far from the tree. **_He coughs a bit nervously, taking a long drag on the cigarette, while still staring into Light's face._** Although your face ain't half bad either.

Light: **_Wearing a quizzical expression, he shrugs off Matt's last comment. _**That was… Rather eye-opening. Your "speech," I mean.

Matt: Well, thanks. **_Matt's "thanks" always sounded sarcastic and untrue, but he felt happier than usual. _**This was a nice chat. We killed plenty of time.

Light: Hm, you did mostly. That was rather long. **_He gives another genuine laugh. Light seldom laughed. …No, Light never really "laughed". This had been his first, and it had happened through a chat with a complete stranger in the park. _**What… What's your name?

Matt: **_Matt thinks things through deeply before finally responding. _**Matt. **_As long as he never revealed his true name to anyone, he would be safe from Kira's wrath. _**And you?

Light: Light.

Matt:**_ Matt gives a small nod, trying out the name. Light. That's a weird name to give a kid. He giggles inwardly on the possibility of "Bulb" being Light's surname. Shaking the cheesy joke off, Matt goes into deep thought. He had been reluctant to say something he had been wishing to tell him. He had decided against it, yet... It slipped. _**You're an interesting person… You're perfect, but so damn messed up. **_He mentally slapped himself. Matt never slipped; he always had indifference to the most heinous crimes and to the most touching moments. _**

Light: … **_Should he be flattered or offended? …Maybe most of the latter. Light lifted an eyebrow quizzically, lips squirming into a near frown._**

Matt: Er... I mean... Fuck. **_Oh God, Matt thought, I gave him the wrong idea. _**You're intelligent, not bad on the eyes, charismatic, blah-blah-blah… Yet you turn out… **_Matt doesn't finish instead taking another long drag on the cigarette, this one also reduced to a small stub. He exhales slowly into Light's direction before stamping it out abruptly. _**You're the perfect example of how one wrong path can truly twist one's fate, the perfect example of good intentions gone evil. "There is nothing good nor bad, but thinking makes it so." Shakespeare.

Light: **_He gives a small grimace. _**What does that quote have to do with that insulting remark?

Matt: Ugh. I'm trying to compliment you… **_Matt hisses. Matt was prone to insulting even when he attempted to compliment. _**You're that thin line, prep, flawed and flawless. More perfect than anyone in this wretched world, yet flawed just like everyone. **_Normally, Light would question how Matt could possibly know of Light's fate, question Matt on Kira and whether he saw through Light's mask or not, but he didn't. Light was currently preoccupying himself with a certain admiration for the red head. _**

Light: Your compliments have a bitter aftertaste to them, you know that?

Matt: Mm, like dark chocolate?

**_Their eyes now have a small glimmer to them. They break eye contact and Matt prepares his third cigarette, holding it between his lips as he brings his lighter up. _**

Light: I – **_Light gives a small pause, unsure of whether to continue. Matt doesn't face him, still attempting to light the cigarette. _**I think you are too. Perfect. **_He grows a bit flustered, but his cool, suave demeanor returns. _**At least, as much as the flawed can be. **_Light's words come out slowly, quietly, and unsure, his face humorless, his eyes dangerously fixed on Matt's reaction. _**

**_The cigarette drops. This was practically a love confession to each other. Neither really cared about what they said. Light would deceive many with empty promises and sweet nothings, whilst Matt with his uncaring directness, said what he felt and did what he wanted, if others agreed with him, okay, if they didn't, well, fuck you. _**

**_But… Every word that had been exchanged today… It was the most heartfelt they had ever been. _**

**_It's dead silent for what seems like an hour, only their sharp intakes of breath being perceptible. Matt's boot unexpectedly stamps out the dropped cigarette. _**

Matt: – Touché.

**_Light chooses to evade his gaze to the uninteresting cemented sidewalks nearby. Matt gives a short glance at Light before slipping on his goggles and staring straight ahead; they say nothing more for the rest of their time together. When Misa arrived fashionably late for their "date," they didn't even bid each other a farewell as Light left with Misa clutching him obsessively in the arm. Instead, their eyes met one last time before the two hastily parted ways. _**

… **_Yet they didn't have to say any heartfelt goodbyes, for an invisible handshake and a lifetime had already been exchanged between the two in those small hours. _**

* * *

Thank you for reading, and be sure to review~ :) I'm also contemplating continuing this into a series, because I feel it's a good standalone fanfic, yet at the same time... I REALLY like this pairing and my friend wants me to continue... Hm...


End file.
